Electric is an understatement when describing the atmosphere at Lumen Field on Saturday evening.
The energy throughout the 90 minutes was palpable as the crowd continuously erupted during the Seattle Sounders’ resounding 3-0 win over Nashville SC.
“Winning 3-0 definitely is fun for the fans,” said forward Danny Musovski. “I think that first half was really exciting, and some guys on the bench were saying they didn't want to go warm up in the first half because they were having fun watching us. So I think everyone enjoyed it.”
After Seattle’s gutsy road win against FC Dallas the previous weekend, the team was determined to keep the momentum going in today’s home match. They did exactly that, and then some.
“I think everybody came together for these couple of wins, and I'm going to use my voice to drive that forward for the remainder of the year,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
In the lead-up to the match, the messaging to the group was to come out on the front foot as soon as the referee blew the first whistle and put Nashville under immediate pressure. It is safe to say this objective was translated seamlessly into tonight’s performance.
“We wanted to come out and really outwork them, out-smart them, and out-think them,” said Schmetzer. “There were some real positives in the game tonight.”
It only took the Sounders 15 minutes to show their attacking capabilities. What started with an encouraging opening goal from Musovski in the 19th minute, ended with two more goals from Pedro de la Vega and Paul Rothrock with 9 minutes left to spare in the first half.
“I was very pleased to have a good performance against a good team,” said Schmetzer.
From Musovski collecting his second consecutive game-winner, to Jesús Ferreira coming into his own with two primary assists, there were several individual efforts on the pitch that allowed the team to achieve a first-time win over the Eastern Conference side.
But, it was the collectivity displayed from the team that ultimately pushed them toward the dominant shutout.
“It was three goals that were out of a team play,” said de la Vega. “So it's something that is important to be able to achieve as a team.”
And with the additive of the home supporters in the stands, there was no stopping the Rave Green on Saturday night.
“When we play local, we feel that we're playing local, that we played in our home field,” said de la Vega. “That makes us very strong.”
